If you had asked me a few years ago where my path was headed, I would’ve said media, branding, storytelling. And in a way, I wasn’t wrong—but I had no idea how personal that path would eventually become. I have spent the last year at a company called BSide Media, a company rooted in something deeper than just content. During my time at BSide, we have talked a lot about values—and one in particular has become cemented in my brain: It was through that lens that I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside and learn from Tim Ross—someone who doesn’t just speak about vulnerability but embodies it. His presence, his honesty and the way he approaches faith, healing and identity—especially through his shows The Basement and Wide Open—have fundamentally changed how I view things. I’ve had conversations with Tim—both inside and outside of work, that have made me take a hard look at myself. Not in a shameful way, but in a liberating way. Tim recently shared something with me that I’ll never forget: That stuck with me. And honestly, it felt like permission. That’s where Collectors MD was born. Because someone had to go first. We show the hits. We celebrate the wins. Collectors MD is not just a platform—it’s a response to that truth. We’re building a space where people can show up as their whole selves. The collector. The struggler. The healer. The human. #CollectorsMD —
“Everyone should be fully seen, fully heard, fully known and fully loved, even if you’re not agreed with.”
Because when someone holds space for your truth without judgment, it becomes impossible to keep living half-visible.
“People constantly come up to me and say, ‘Thank you for going first, because it gave me the opportunity to go second.'”
Permission to go first. Permission to stop pretending. Permission to build something for the people still in the shadows—the ones waiting for someone to lay the foundation.
Not just from burnout. Not just from overspending or spiraling. Not to lead with answers—but to start the conversation.
And from finally understanding what it means to be seen—and realizing how many people in this hobby are walking around unseen.
But at times, we hide the shame. The compulsion. The debt. The regret.
And the cost of staying hidden? It’s everything.
Because you are so more than what you pull from a box of cards. You are so much more than what you spend your money on. You are worth being seen—fully.
Healing starts with being seen—and I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t been. Thank you, Tim.
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